Not sure if this is for me

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2016

I'm sorry you feel this way. Remember that, having practiced as a nurse, you've already learned how to teach. You teach patients and families, you teach aides, maybe you've even oriented new nurses when you worked on the floor. Clinical education isn't for everyone, but it doesn't mean you have nothing to offer these students. Your experience can help them learn the importance of assessment, your technique can help them improve their nursing skills, your wisdom can help them learn effective communication. You're an experienced nurse- you can share that experience. That's teaching.

Shagce1 · Mar 21, 2016

That's ok. We as students are feeling the same way! We dread it too. For us it's fear of the unknown. And now as I near graduation, it's fear of everything I don't know. Maybe you are not feeling like it's your niche because it is still so new to you? And you are fearing the unknown as far as what weird things your students are gonna do or not do next, knowing that you are responsible for their actions to a certain extent?

BSNbeauty, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2016

Thank you both for your kind words. I do enjoy teaching the students and guiding them. Maybe I'll give it more time. Thanks again for the encouragement !

JaxJax5423 · Mar 28, 2016

I started to dread clinicals because the students are so limited by policies that I was bored out of my mind. I started thinking of stuff

..like I'd bring a foley kit and we would simulate in a conference room. I would find other this to get into. It is uncomfortable not feeling welcomes in a hospital and that also contributed to disliking clinicals.

JaxJax5423 · Mar 28, 2016

...simulate like go thru steps....not simulate catheters on each other. ...just clarifying!

RainMom · Mar 28, 2016

One of my instructors did something during clinicals that I really liked. We usually left our belongings in an extra room on the floor & could go there to chart on the computer when we had pt care caught up (so by 0900-1000, there were often a few of us there). My instructor would ask us about our pt; we would basically formulate a case study & discussion. I learned a ton by picking the charts apart...labs, consults, meds, radiology, etc.

We always did total care for the pts we were assigned to, so everyone drifted in & out of that room as needed. Then every time the instructor was free & came by, we looked at another student's pt. Through the discussions, she made sure everyone had a clear idea of what their priority nursing dx would be for their care plan due the next day.

Of course some days were more busy with less time to discuss pts until our post conference, but it was always a highlight for me & really helped me with starting to think like a nurse.

She was also the type of instructor who would push us to the forefront to give us a chance to try something new. One day, a code was called overhead for the ER...she sent 2 students down to help...they came back a little pumped because they got to do compressions.